Štěpán Rak, Jan-Matěj Rak (guitar)

Štěpán Rak enchants his listeners by the intensity of experience, mastery of interpretation and the absolute fusion of the interpreter and composer in one person with the soul of music. In 2000 he was appointed university guitar professor as the first person in the Czech Republic. The program will bear the name Fairy Tale Journey (in Czech “Cesta do pohádky”) and Štěpán Rak will narrate famous fairy tale stories in musical language while celebrating fairy tale creatures; the audience will also hear music with fairy tale themes such as the conflict between good and evil and the power of love. Štěpán Rak will perform together with his son Jan Matěj Rak, who is also a guitarist.

Program: Alfred Strejček, Štěpán Rak: Tribute to J. A. Komenský (played by Štěpán Rak) Štěpán Rak: Journey to Fairy Tales (selection from cycle): Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Gulliver’s Travels, Good and Evil, The Emperor’s Nightingale (played by Štěpán Rak) Improvisation on Baroque motifs (played by Štěpán Rak and Jan-Matěj Rak) intermission Jaroslav Ježek: Dark Blue World, Ezop a brabenec, Tři strážníci, Stonožka, Isabel Valse, Equatorial Rag (played by Jan-Matěj Rak) Anonymous: Romanza (played by Štěpán Rak and Jan-Matěj Rak) Jaroslav Ježek: Život je jen náhoda (played by Štěpán Rak and Jan-Matěj Rak).